Political Science 101 - Unit 2 Quiz

In 2012, about ________ percent of Latino Americans voted for Barack Obama.

70

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

75

It is estimated that over ________ percent of Americans have a television.

95

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a free media is necessary to democratic government?

A free media is needed to ensure economic equality.

Which of the following statements best describes perceptions of racism among African Americans and whites?

African Americans are more likely than whites to believe that racism is very common in the United States today.

In 1964, the Republican Party presidential nominee, ________, espoused a number of ideas, such as less taxation and less government regulation of the economy, that became major themes for the modern Republican Party.

Barry Goldwater

The two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s were the ________ and the ________.

Democrats; Whigs

________ occurs when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Divided party government

Which of the following statements about governmental public relations efforts is FALSE?

Due to its size and power, the government is always successful at influencing public opinion.

________ is the most important core value of liberalism.

Equality

The first party system was characterized by conflict between the ________ and the ________.

Federalists; Jeffersonian Republicans

The Communications Decency Act was struck down by the Supreme Court because it violated the

First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.

________ support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.

Liberals

Which of the following statements about Organizing for America (OFA) is FALSE?

OFA has established offices in only three states: California, New York, and Massachusetts.

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is FALSE?

Prior to 2000, there were almost no Americans who identified themselves as liberal.

________ is one of the most important mechanisms for obtaining equality of opportunity.

Public education

From 1896 to 1932, the ________ Party was the nation's majority party.

Republican

Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.

Republican

From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s, the ________ Party was the party of the North, while the ________ Party was the party of the South.

Republican; Democratic

Which of the following statements about party building is true?

Republicans have paid much more attention to party building than Democrats since the Eisenhower presidency.

Why do radio stations repeat the news so often throughout the day?

The audience is constantly changing since most people listen to the radio in their cars.

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?

The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media.

Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media?

There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news as conglomerates have come to own a larger and larger percentage of media outlets.

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

There is a higher level of political participation among those with a college education.

The New Deal coalition was severely strained and ultimately broken apart by the ________.

Vietnam War and the issue of civil rights

________ is the single most important political act for most Americans.

Voting

Journalists at the ________ led to the exposure of the Watergate scandal.

Washington Post

________ has released thousands of secret government documents.

WikiLeaks

Which of the following statements is true about political participation?

Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called ________.

agenda setting

Which of the following occurs when one party becomes dominant after replacing another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?

an electoral realignment

The Tea Party movement is

an organized challenge to incumbents in the Republican Party by the most conservative wing of the Republican Party.

During the late 1840s and early 1850s, both the Democratic and Whig parties were divided by

conflicts over slavery.

Which group has had great popularity on radio talk shows?

conservatives

Opposition to legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________ while support for legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________.

conservatives; liberals

The proliferation of news sources in recent years has

encouraged polarization because many media outlets seek to position themselves within a discrete ideological or partisan niche rather than maintain a middle-of-the-road stance.

If a television station sold commercial time to a Republican candidate for governor but refused to sell time to the Democratic candidate for governor, this station would be violating the ______.

equal time rule

The social desirability effect refers to the

fact that respondents report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable rather than what they actually believe or know to be true.

The fact that journalists referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "health care rationing" is an example of the media's power of ________.

framing

Which of the following is NOT a key factor affecting one's level of participation?

geographic region

Besides their ideological biases, journalists also exhibit selection biases in favor of news stories they view as

having a great deal of dramatic or entertainment value.

The belief that government is a wasteful and dangerous institution and should be limited to as few activities as possible is an example of a political ________.

ideology

Which of the following characteristics constitutes one's socioeconomic status?

level of income, level of education, and prestige of occupation

In public-opinion surveys, a sample of the total population

must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.

A website devoted entirely to reporting on climate change and other environmental issues is an example of ________ journalism.

niche

The fact that Democratic Party leaders have become more liberal and Republican Party leaders more conservative is important because

partisans in the public tend to rely on party leaders for cues on the appropriate positions to take on major political issues.

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of ________.

political ideologies

The complex set of beliefs and values that, as a whole, form a general philosophy about the government is called ________.

political ideology

The process by which underlying political values are formed is known as ________.

political socialization

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to ________.

poorly worded questions

Third-party candidates are better off under ________.

proportional representation

State ballot access laws, such as registration fees and petition requirements, have the effect of

reducing the number of third-party and independent candidates who can run for office.

During the 1980s, the Republicans added ________to their coalition.

religious conservatives and working-class whites

If a radio station aired a personal attack against a candidate but refused to allow the same candidate the opportunity to respond to that attack on its station, the station would be violating the ________.

right of rebuttal

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support ________.

school prayer

What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?

slavery

One recent survey showed that two-thirds of Americans believe that federal officials are spending too little money on assistance for the poor. Yet, another survey conducted at the same time found that only one-tenth of Americans believe that federal officials are spending too little on welfare. This example shows that

small differences in the wording of a question can lead to very different response patterns.

Third parties in the United States typically represent

social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

The fact that survey respondents overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of the ________.

social desirability effect

Women in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.

somewhat more likely to support; Democratic

Men in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.

somewhat more likely to support; Republican

Under the Constitution, ________ has/have the power to regulate elections.

state legislatures

Despite its widespread availability,________typically provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.

television

Which of the following is regulated by the federal government?

television

Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?

television

The Federalist Party disappeared forever as a result of ________.

the War of 1812

Which of the following is NOT a reason that Americans prefer online news?

the accuracy and objectivity of the information found online

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.

What has helped accelerate the trend toward less variety in national news in the past decade?

the corporate consolidation of news media into a small number of conglomerates

Which of the following is NOT part of a country's party system?

the laws that govern how much money parties can raise and spend in election campaigns

The practice of push polling involves

the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion.

The Supreme Court case Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969) upheld ________.

the right of rebuttal

"Me too" Republicanism refers to

the tendency of Republican politicians during the New Deal to support popular programs such as Social Security rather than advocate alternative policies.

The United States began its tradition of ________ during the early nineteenth century.

the two-party system

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.

One of the most important measures of public opinion in a democracy is

trust in government.

Historically, realignments occur

when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters and persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties.

What is the ultimate success for political parties?

winning elections

Most local newspapers get their national news from ________.

wire services

In which of the following was there NOT an electoral realignment?

1994

As a third-party candidate, Ross Perot captured approximately ________ percent of the popular vote in the 1992 presidential election.

20

When Richard Nixon employed his "southern strategy," he

appealed to disaffected white voters in the South.

The term public opinion is used to describe

beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people.

The Fairness Doctrine required that

broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.

The term gender gap refers to

differences in political opinions between men and women.